Jett Bandy

Bandy opened last season sharing the Brewers' catching duties with Manny Pina, and he owned an .839 OPS at the end of May. Things went south quickly from there, though, as he totaled just two hits in ...

Despite an impressive spring training, Bandy opened the 2016 season at Triple-A Salt Lake, where he slashed a modest .274/.314/.411 before being called up to the Angels in late May when Geovany Soto got hurt. After hitting .310 in his first month as the backup to Carlos Perez, Bandy took over primary catching duties for the remainder of the season. He batted only .221 the rest of the way but he did smack eight home runs, suggesting Bandy could hit double-digit homers with regular playing time. He may get a steady role after an offseason trade to Milwaukee, and that alone puts him in the conversation as a low-end second catcher in 15-team mixed leagues. Bandy will compete against Andrew Susac and Manny Pina for reps behind the dish in spring training.

2016

Bandy was used as catching depth for most of the season, as he played just two games with the big club, but he had a representative showing at Triple-A Salt Lake, notching an .818 OPS and 11 home runs in 309 at-bats. Bandy's power potential could make him an intriguing option if he were given a chance at the job, as he has logged ISOs of .163 and .175 in the past two years in the minors, but whether the bat will translate outside of the PCL remains to be seen. His best chance to make the roster heading into 2016 will likely be as the backup to Carlos Perez, who showed a strong defensive presence after gradually taking over the No. 1 spot from Chris Iannetta (now with Seattle). The fact that we have seen manager Mike Scioscia work a timeshare with his backstops in the past could open the door for some value for Bandy if he can impress in camp.